What do you think about the 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo? I bought it for $1,500 from a mechanic off Craigslist who brings in different cars and fixes them up to be highway-ready, this one has 170,000 miles on it and is the base model. There are minor issues but I can take my time fixing them and I feel like it’s got plenty of life left to it. I would just like to know anyone’s experiences and opinions of these cars especially for my year in particular.
Side note: This is my first car in 3 1/2 years and relative to the 2000 Buick LeSabre I owned for a year and a half that was a money pit of repairs I feel like this is a total 180 in terms of the shape of this car.
You know what , it's a pre-bankruptcy GM car, so it was still made decently well. However, this car is at least 21 years old, which means a lot of components will be at the end of their life, and you're going to end up replacing everything, which will easily surpass what you paid for the car . Especially if you're paying someone to do it. And the number one thing you need to worry about is the transmission. When it goes (and it won't be long) that'll be it for the car.
So just use it to get to work as much as you can, don't dump too much money into it, and start saving up for a better car.
There are so many things that can go wrong with a 22-year-old high mileage Chevy it's really not possible to say. At least you didn't pay much for it. Even if the car lasts just a year you're ahead of the game.
